


Secrets of the First Ones (Part 2)

by SteveM



Series: Multiverse Madness [2]
Category: Batwoman (TV 2019), She-Ra and the Princesses of Power (2018), Supergirl (TV 2015)
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-27
Updated: 2020-09-27
Packaged: 2021-03-08 01:54:04
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 10,889
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26677762
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SteveM/pseuds/SteveM
Summary: With Supergirl and Batwoman turning the tide of battle on Etheria the army of Bright Moon makes one final, desperate attack on Braniac's drone factory.
Relationships: Adora/Catra (She-Ra), Kara Danvers & Kate Kane, Kara Danvers/Kate Kane
Series: Multiverse Madness [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1931842
Comments: 3
Kudos: 22





	1. Chapter 1

“I take it that’s where we’re going?” Batwoman asked as she scanned the horizon, shifting slightly to try and find a more stable position. While convincing Kara to let her ride on her back while flying had, in a slightly weird way, reinforced how awesome the Girl of Steel was to their new friends it was a lot less comfortable than being carried. Not that Kate had any intention of saying that, ever. The potential for teasing Kara was far too high to spoil with such mundane things as Kate being unable to feel anything below her waist.

“How did you guess?” Catra shouted back over the wind of their flight. She, at least, looked comfortable sitting astride Swift Wind, her back pressed against She-Ra’s body. Both Kate and Kara had decided not to let on that their surveillance system and super hearing respectively had picked up the gentle purring coming from Catra or that it had gotten louder when She-Ra had automatically placed an arm around her partner to hold her steady.

“It has a certain… doom-y feel to it.” Kate replied and everyone had to admit she had a point. The usually lush landscape of Etheria ended almost directly below them, turning into a series of rocky crags and shattered ground. Nestled in the middle of the ruin was an enormous metal cube, it’s silver surface gleaming ominously in the setting sun, green energy conduits pulsing around it as it fed on the planet itself.

“Well you’re not wrong.” Catra agreed as she and She-Ra gazed almost sadly at what had become of the Fright Zone. Granted it had been an evil place where they’d both been lied to and abused more or less every day of their lives but… it was still their childhood home. Not all of the memories were bad ones and occasionally She-Ra - or, rather, Adora - found herself thinking almost fondly of the moments in the dead of night where she’d feel Catra slide down from the top bunk to curl up at Adora’s feet. In a world of machinery, hard surfaces and endless training it had been a precious touch of softness and warmth in her life.

“So is there actually a plan here or do we just storm in and smash the place?” Kate asked as she double checked her weaponry was in place.

“Basically… yeah, that.” She-Ra said and looked slightly abashed as she said it, a feeling not helped by Catra’s groan and faceplam. “What? It’s worked before!”

“And it’s always been a bad plan!” Catra said, her voice slightly muffled by her hand. “There’s got to be a better way.”

“Tell them about the other part.” Kara said with a slightly sulky edge to her tone. She still hadn’t entirely forgiven Kate for talking her into the role of ‘noble steed’ and the occasional sneaky tickle hadn’t helped her mood any as she tried not to embarrass herself in front of their travel companions.

“Huh? Oh! Right! We just need to create a distraction until sunset, that’s all.”

“Why?” Catra asked, her ears flicking up with cautious optimism. 

“Because that’s when we set the shield to come on.” She-Ra replied with a big smile. “They lose their connection to the orbiting ship so no reinforcements from space and they shouldn’t be able to make any more drones.”

“That still leaves an entire Fright Zone-sized mass of drones for us to take out.” Catra said with strained patience. 

“Which is why sunset is also when the rest of the Princesses are scheduled to attack.” She-Ra said smugly and Catra squirmed round to look at the beautiful face behind and above her. 

“That’s… not actually a bad plan. I’m going to assume it’s Kara’s.”

“Hey!” She-Ra protested but any sting in the word was taken away by Catra’s sly smile.

“I mean, she’s not actually wrong about that.” Kara called up.

“Kara!”

“Oh don’t give me that shocked betrayal routine Ms ‘take-a-skiff’.” Kara said with a grin. “Though in fairness all I said was we’d need back-up, the Princesses were your idea.”

“Well… yes… they were.” She-Ra said, stumbling a little as she tried to think of a defence that was both witty and guaranteed not to give Catra further ammunition. 

“I don’t see a way in.” Kate interrupted before the bickering could start in earnest. “There’s that big gate at the front but that’s gotta be thick enough even Kara might take a while to break through. How, exactly, are we going to cause a distraction, just stand there knocking?”

“Leave that to us.” She-Ra said and Catra’s eyes went wide.

“Wait, us? What do you mean us? Kara, got room for one more?”

She-Ra laughed and hugged Catra close for a moment. “Oh you love this really. Okay Swift Wind… dive!”

“Wait, no, hang onnnnnnnnnn….”

Kata and Kara watched the alicorn drop into a sharp descent, Catra’s protests trailing behind.

“How have they lived this long?” Kate asked and she felt the chuckle rumble in Kara’s chest.

“Oh I dunno, we’ve done stupider things.”

“Name… uh…. six.”

“If you can think of five off the top of your head that easily you know I’m right.”

Kate sighed and stretched, working the kinks out of her back. “Yeah but I’d prefer if that didn’t get around.”

“Your secret’s safe with me.”

“First time for everything.” Kate teased as she lent forward so she was kneeling on Kara’s back, her hands sliding down Supergirl’s arms until her chin rested on the back of Kara’s head. “Ready?”

“Always.”

“That’s my girl.” Kate said and slipped sideways slightly to kiss Kara’s cheek before moving back to lie on top of her.

“Always.” Kara repeated with a warmth that pulled a happy sigh from Kate as they watched the scene unfolding below…


	2. Chapter 2

Swift Wind raced for the ground below, pulling up at the last moment to skim across the surface and let first Catra then She-Ra leap from his back to land barely half a dozen metres from the huge gate. The alicorn wheeled into the sky and raced for the horizon and the safety of the mountains as auto-canons tried to shoot him out of the air. She-Ra started to glow and Catra ducked behind her as the sword of protection slashed and sent a wave of energy the width of the entire gate crashing into the metal structure. There was a crackle as whatever alien defences were built into the factory did their best to absorb the energy but there was a visible scar left behind.

With a victorious grin She-Ra charged forward and stabbed the sword with all her might in to the gate. Once again she started to glow as Catra moved to a close flanking position behind her but this time the energy was directed through the blade and into the metal. Slowly at first then with increasing speed the gate itself began to pulse with the same rainbow-coloured power and there were ominous creaking sounds from somewhere deep inside the city-sized factory.

“It’s going! I can hear it! I can… oh.” She-Ra’s triumph was short lived as the gate shuddered and started to drop straight down, almost taking the sword with it before she yanked it clear. The noises she’d heard turned out to be the massive gears responsible for moving the entrance and they were turning now to reveal a seemingly endless line of Brainiac drones as the barrier fell away.

“Yeah…. Oh is about right.” Catra said weakly. “Maybe it’s time to get out of here?”

“No! We’ve got to get through them!” She-Ra shook her head and planted her feet, leaving Catra to groan in frustration.

“And how are you planning on doing that without getting killed in the first minute!”

She-Ra looked like she really wished that particular question hadn’t been asked but was saved from answering by a shout from behind them.

“Get out of the way!”

The two women, well versed in improvised plans and the need to dive for cover at a moment’s notice, found their bodies moving almost automatically, leaping aside to clear a path. Catra rolled and twisted as she hit the ground and looked back to see something she couldn’t quite believe.

Supergirl was racing for the gate so close to the shattered ground a small wake of rock was being churned up by her flight. Her eyes were locked on the approaching wall of drones, fists outstretched. As they got within a hundred metres a dark shape on her back uncoiled, leaping upwards into the rapidly-darkening sky. The moment Kate’s feet had left Kara’s back the girl of steel spun in mid-air, still flying straight at the drones but now looking up into the sky. Her limbs blurred with her super speed as she reached up, placed her hands on Batwoman’s chest, her feet against the black boots and pushed. The extra boost catapulted the black shape up to leave her silhouetted against the setting sun, her cape furling out to give her the look of a freshly-risen demon come to wreak revenge against those who dared harm Etheria.

For just a moment the army found their attention caught by the approaching threat and that was all Supergirl needed. She flipped back over so she was once again flying face down and simply plowed into the lead row of drones without a single one getting a blow in against her. She hit them with so much speed and power there was a small shockwave and she carved a line through the first twenty or so rows like a bowling ball hitting a strike. As those she’d left behind turned to start approaching the threat now very firmly in their midst Batwoman glided in, sword flashing at neck height and decapitating the suddenly defenceless drones.

Catra turned to She-Ra and saw the look of shock on her lover’s face that, she suspected, mirrored her own. “Wow…”

“Yeah. Where were they when we were fighting the horde!?”

“No idea but we should probably be helping them now!”

“Oh, right! Let’s go!” She-Ra almost offered Catra her hand and remembered just in time how touchy the feline could be about any possible sign of weakness. Instead she just smiled and turned, knowing without looking that Catra was already sprinting forward into the fight, moving in a half-crouch to bring all four limbs into motion and trusting She-Ra to keep up. Together they charged the seemingly endless army and breached the border of what had once been the Fright Zone.


	3. Chapter 3

Their first impressions were that of chaos. Supergirl had turned the marching army in on itself, the lead rank now trying to get to her and Batwoman while the sea of drones further back kept marching forwards. Under normal circumstances that would have likely led to a crush of metal removing any threat from the attacking force… but this was far from normal. Supergirl was moving constantly, no longer worried about hiding her true power and maintaining a six foot wide circle in the midst of the mob. The moment a drone crossed that line it found itself shredded without being more than a blur of movement. 

Batwoman kept moving in the eye of the storm, Batarangs flying at strategic targets beyond that initial wall of metal, picking off drones in the midst of the mob to slow down and divert those behind them. Occasionally she’d spot an opening closer to them and dart forward, the short black sword stabbing and slashing to take out an unsuspecting drone that had seemed safe behind its fellows. 

“So… this is going well!” Kate called. “What’s the next part of the plan again?”

“Uh… they are!” Kara replied, pausing her assault to point back at the entrance. Kate glanced over and saw the tip of a sword raise briefly over the forces massed in that direction before slashing down with an echoing clang. A blur of movement to the right caught her attention and she watched in astonishment as Catra leapt up on the nearest drone at shoulder height and started to run - or was that pounce Kate thought absently - from drone to drone, her claws slashing down on each one to slash its throat and leave the head tumbling to the ground. The setting sun was behind her leaving her a black shape dancing atop an army seemingly without a care in the world.

There was a burst of rainbow light and She-Ra smashed her way through the last line of drones on the gate-side of the factory to join the small circle of relative safety. A second later Catra launched herself off one last drone to land with perfect grace on She-Ra’s shoulder. She was crouched over, her eyes narrowing as she took in the wave upon wave of drones marching towards them but there was a certain smug pride in keeping up with the Princess of Power that Kate found both endearing and embarrassingly familiar.

“Well I guess that’s the first wave dealt with… anyone got any bright idea what we do about the next thousand?” Catra asked casually.

“We just need to hold them off and keep the gate open.” She-Ra said and as if on cue there was an ominous rumble through the ground as the huge metal barrier shivered in its tracks and started to rise.

“Supergirl, can you…?” She-Ra started to ask but was cut off by a woosh of wind and a yelled “On it!”from Kara.

In a heartbeat the girl of steel was flying over the gate but this time she could look down into the depths of the machinery on either side of the colossal barrier. With a satisfied grin she used her heat vision to melt the power conduits and moving gear on both sides, did a quick, shallow loop then dove back down. She landed with both feet in the centre of the gate and there was no structure on Etheria that could have stood up to the force of the impact. It cracked and shot back down into its tracks, buckling and jamming as it did so to ensure it wouldn’t be moving any time soon.

As she lifted back into the air the last light of the setting sun reached out and surrounded her, lending her a golden halo as she scanned the approaching forces. Kate shook her head and muttered something that sounded to Catra a lot like “Show off.” A moment later the sun dipped beyond the horizon, the light faded and with a crackle that seemed to echo off the sky itself a purple-pink bubble raced from the east to wrap around the entire planet.

“The shield works!” She-Ra said with surprise and joy in her voice. “It really works!”

“Was there a doubt?” Kara asked, floating back to join the others.

“Well… yeah. We don’t have the best of luck with first ones tech.” She-Ra admitted slightly guiltily, a feeling that wasn’t helped by the snort from Catra and the accompanying almost-but-not-quite inaudible “Understatement”. 

“Well let’s see what happens when we trust in your magic.” Kate said eagerly. “I think we’ve got enough room…”

“Right.” She-Ra held the sword aloft and concentrated. Her thoughts reached out and found Swift Wind, the sacred bond between them that let them communicate no matter where they were. “Swiftie… now.”

She had a moment of double-vision as she saw through Swift Wind’s eyes as he tuned to a short woman in glittering purple and pink armour to relay the instruction. The woman grinned, reached out to place her hand on a metal orb next to her… and vanished.

A second later in a shower of purple sparks the sphere appeared out of thin air just to the right of where Catra was standing. She yelped and jumped back slightly before sending an annoyed glare at the clearly proud and slightly smug woman standing next to it.

“Oh very funny Glimmer! One of these days you’re going to miss and flatten me!”

“Never happen.” Glimmer replied with boundless confidence. “It’s way too much fun to see you freak out about it.” She knocked on the side of the sphere, three quick raps with her knuckles. “Okay, we’re here!”

The front of the sphere instantly cracked open and dropped down like a ramp. From its depths eight figures raced out to take battle positions facing the seemingly-infinite drone army. 

“Oh that’s… wow, that’s a lot of them huh?” This came from a very tall and powerfully built woman with a shock of white hair and a bug-like exoskeleton complete with huge pincers where her hands should be and a moving tail that ended in a wicked-looking stinger.

“Oh my yes! Soooo many possibilities…” Kate glanced at the speaker, surprised at how excited she sounded. She wore a bug-like mask with glowing eyes and a suit of body armour that, for some reason, had a transparent plate just above her cleavage. The weirdest thing though was her mass of purple hair that shifted and moved like another set of arms and seemingly almost with a mind of its own.

“Entrapta, focus!” A strikingly attractive woman with dark skin and blue/green hair in skintight and flexible teal armour reached out and gently placed a hand on the purple-haired woman’s shoulder. “We’re here to stop them, remember?”

“Oh I know. But we can keep one…. right?”

“Uh, no. Scorpia, you got that side?” 

The woman with the pincers looked shocked. “By myself? Uh, not that I don’t appreciate the confidence Mermista but…”

“Urrggghhhh….” Mermista let out a frustrated groan and shook her head. “No, not by yourself, Perfuma you’ve got her back right?”

“Of course!” This came from a slim blonde in long, flowing pink robes though as they shifted around her there was the hint of hard plating underneath. She gestured and a line of thick, brown vines pushed their way up through the cracks in the rocky ground beneath their feet then quickly thickened and grew to wave threateningly at the command of their mistress.

“Okay. Spinnerella, Netossa, Frosta, you’ve got the right?”

“Of course!” Two of the women Mermista had addressed gave her matching confident grins then turned to face the threat as the third just looked excited as she summoned enormous gauntlets of ice seemingly from thin air. “And no counting kills!” Mermista shot after them.

“No promises!” Netossa called back.

“Bow and I will help at the front with She-Ra!” Glimmer said with excitement. “Oh, hang on…” She held her hand out and a long staff materialised out of thin air, its edge glowing with barely-contained power. To her side a handsome black man shook his head with long-suffering grace.

“You are way too happy about this.”

“Hey, I’ve been dreaming of kicking these things off my planet for weeks now! Also while it’s horrible you’ve got to admit there’s something nice about having everyone together.”

“Not sure nice is the right word for it.” Bow said, reaching over his shoulder to pull an arrow from his quiver and notch it. “But I know what you mean.”

“That just leaves us.” Mermista said holding a hand out to Entrapta. “You’re sure you can do this?”

“Oh yes, a facility this big must need a huge power source and the only thing in the Fright Zone that could’ve provided it is the hydro system. All we’ve got to do is follow the cables back.”

“Sounds simple.” Mermista said dryly and Entrapta laughed.

“It is! Well there’s the small matter of the army of drones. And the almost-certainty of layered defence systems. And what happens if the cables go somewhere we can’t. But other that that, yes, simple!”

“Riiiiight.” Kate said, sliding into the conversation. “Small suggestion, take Supergirl with you. She can help with all of that.”

“You’re sure?” Kara and Mermista asked the question at the same time and Kate chuckled.

“Yeah, I’m sure. We’ll hold them back, don’t worry.”

“Uh, they’re getting awfully close!” Scorpia called.

“Get going! Kara, take care of them!” Kate said, snapping fully back into the mantle of the Bat. “Catra, we’ll pick off any that get too close, let the heavy hitters do the damage while we stay mobile.”

“Sounds good to me!” Catra said moving to stand side by side with Batwoman. “Adora, do NOT do anything stupid, okay?”

“When have you ever known me to… okay, okay, nothing stupid, I promise.” She-Ra said with a guilty look at Catra’s side-eye. 

“Brace yourself everyone… here we go!” Kate called as the lead element of the drones reached them and all hell broke loose. To her left crackling red energy flew out and sent drones flying while walls of plants rose up from the ground in a way that had Kate was horribly familiar with after fighting Poison Ivy one time too many. On her right the air came alive, a massive swirling tornado that swept with pinpoint precision through the throng, lifting them up and hurling the drones at high speed into the nearest solid structure with enough force to shatter them apart. Those the wind missed found themselves wrapped in glowing white energy nets that pinned them down and crushed them or just threw them back into the path of the tornado.

Around her Glimmer was sending wave after wave of purple-pink sparkling energy into the oncoming ranks, splitting drones in half and clearly having the time of her life. Beside her Bow was quietly taking care of those she didn’t spot, covering her back with elegant grace and perfect shots from arrows that seemed to have an endless array of tricks built in from electricity to corrosive goo to old-fashioned nets and more. She-Ra was taking point and any drone that dared get within touching distance was immediately smashed to pieces but Kate could see the dilemma within the 8 foot tall blonde warrior. She clearly wanted to charge forward, to move the fight away from her friends but forced herself to hold the line, to rely on them as much as they were on her. 

Kate and Catra raced behind the front line slashing and tearing at anything that looked as if it was still capable of fighting. Kate ducked around Scorpia’s pincers to stab a drone through it’s chest before it could angle in to Scorpia’s ribs then heard a hiss and surprised cry from behind her. She spun and saw Catra on the ground, half a drone crawling forward towards her with one hand locked around her right ankle. 

“Catch!” Kate called and threw the short black sword end over end towards the surprised Catra. It smacked perfectly into her outstretched palm and Kate just had time to see the evil grin on the furry face before Catra arched back, twisted and brought the sword down clean on the drone’s neck. A follow-up stroke severed its hand and freed her to scramble back to her feet.

“Thanks!” She said gratefully, weighing the sword carefully in her hand. “Nice blade by the way, really good balance to it.”

“You know what…” Kate replied, reaching for a belt and flipping open another pouch. “Keep it.” She flicked a matching sword out and suddenly looked worried. “Uh, just don’t tell Kara I carry two of these, okay?”

“Deal.” Catra said with a worried look at the seemingly endless parade of drones that just kept coming at them. “I think I’m gonna need it.”

“Probably.” Kate agreed glancing at the growing empty space behind them as they pressed slowly forward deeper into the factory. “But we’ve got to find a way to cover our backs or these things are going to circle around us again.”

Catra was about to reply when her left ear twitched upwards and she smiled in a way that seemed designed to show off her fangs. “I don’t think that’s going to be a problem…”

Kate was suddenly aware of a fresh sound overlaid over the chaotic noise of battle. A rising roar coming from beyond the gates that grew louder and louder until a mass of Etherians crested the nearby hill and charged towards what had for so long been a place of fear and dread for them. The army of Bright Moon, plus any other fighters they’d been able to pick up along the way, raced into battle and it was all Kate and Catra could do to direct those at the front to something approaching proper positions while hoping that those behind would take the hint.


	4. Chapter 4

Considerably further inside the factory Entrapta was sliding down a huge power conduit, her hair working to slow her down while she gripped a data pad in front of her face. Tapping furiously at its surface she suddenly cried out in triumph. “Ha, there it is! Right ahead of us, we’re almost there!”

“Oh good.” Mermista said sarcastically as she overtook Entrapta. Her trident was whirling and smacking drones aside left and right as she surfed down the slick pipe. “Was starting to think this was going to be difficult.”

“Could be worse!” Kara called as she flew overhead, twisting to throw a particularly aggressive drone hard into what she was pretty sure wasn’t anything likely to explode. “At least they’ve stopped shooting at us!”

“I’m not surprised! With all the energy stored in these systems one stray shot and there’d be an explosion big enough to be seen from space!” Entrapta said with far too much enthusiasm for Kara’s comfort. 

“Well let’s try not to let that happen…” Supergirl said, rolling on her side to freeze breath yet another drone in place for Mermista to slice its head off with the trident. 

“Okay, but it might be a useful plan B!”

“Let’s try not to blow this place up while we’re all in it.” Mermista growled as the pipe levelled out and she ran alongside Entrapta for a few hundred yards until she realised they were running into a solid metal wall.

“Supergirl! Dead end!” Mermista called up then grabbed Entrapta and moved her to the right as a red and blue blur shot past at around chest height. Kara quickly checked the wall with her x-ray vision, satisfied herself there was nothing explosive or otherwise dangerous behind it and just flew straight through. She kicked her legs down as she did so, carving a gap big enough for the others to easily pass through. As they scrambled on into the chamber Kara shot back and shoved the jagged edges together, carefully welding them together with her heat vision.

“Okay, that should buy us some… time…” Kara trailed off as she turned and saw the princesses staring up at the enormous cathedral of technology. It had to be two hundred foot tall, a giant metal cylinder with perfectly smooth sides, green energy pulsing around it from conduits that wound their way across and down the structure like giant serpents. That central cylinder was surrounded by four clear pipes all full of liquid rushing up, pushed ever higher as more water poured in to the bottom of each pipe.

“Wow… “ Entrapta’s eyes were gleaming as she took in the sight. “It’s a hydro power generator. Water goes in the top, turns… probably a turbine but it could be anything really then exits the bottom and fills the pipes up. Not completely efficient of course but very, very close to it. The things we could do with this…”

“I wish we could but it’s got to be destroyed.” Kara said urgently only to find Mermista putting a reassuring hand on her arm.

“Relax. This is why I came along.” She looked around and pointed at a ledge almost on a level with the top of the main cylinder. “Can you get us up there? I don’t think we’re going to want to be this low down.”

“Sure. Hang on.” Kara snagged them both around the waist and flew up to the platform. Entrapta looked almost sad as Mermista walked to the edge and drew a calming breath.

“Do we have to….”

“Yes.” Mermista said curtly then softened as she saw the look on Entrapta’s face. “But remember what you’ve seen. You’ll find a way to use it and I’ll help you build a replacement, okay?”

“You will!”

“Of course. Providing it’s not evil.”

“Science is never evil!”

“Up for debate.” Mermista said with a shrug and turned back to face the structure. “Okay, watch this blondie.”

She raised her hands and set her feet, clearly straining with the effort of focusing on such a huge task. For a moment or two nothing happened then there was an audible creak in the chamber. It was joined by another, then a chorus of groans and ominous rushing noises. Kara watched in awe as the water started to swirl in its pipes, small vortices forming and pushing at the glass that held it captive. At the top of the nearest pipe a jet of water suddenly burst out, soaking the ceiling above and causing the entire pipe to shake. With the loss of its rigidity there was no way it could hold and within a few seconds the entire transparent surface was visibly rippling before it exploded out, cascading down with the new waterfall to the floor far below.

With one broken Mermista seemed to gain confidence and suddenly the three remaining water pipes were groaning and twisting as she renewed her efforts. Within seconds all three burst sending their cargo racing down and forming a new lake that easily covered the makeshift door they’d come in by. Before they had chance to say anything there as a loud clack and all of the lights went out at once, leaving them in pitch blackness.

“I’d say that worked.” Mermista’s satisfied voice came from the dark.

“Uh, yes, but….” Entrapta had her pad out and it’s pale glow was showing a very worried look on her face. A moment later bright red emergency lights snapped on and a toneless siren started to blare.

“Oh that can’t be good.” Kara said as she started to look for a way out.

“It’s not. The system has some sort of reactant in the middle. The water was keeping it cool. Without that flow it’s going to explode!” Entrapta said and any excitement at exploring the boundaries of science was long gone.

“How big?” Kara asked, picking out their exit route.

“Big! Like, really big!”

“Time to go!” Kara said, reaching out and snagging her friends. Pulling them close she glared at the metal that stood between them and freedom, cracked her neck and let her eyes glow red. “Entrapta, can you hang on with your hair and hands, I really need at least one arm free for this.”

“Of course!” There was a shifting of weight and Kara felt Entrapta’s prehensile hair wrap around her like a webbing belt. “All set!”

“Hang on!” Kara launched into the air, fist extended as behind them the first small explosion went off. She had no doubt it wouldn’t be the last…


	5. Chapter 5

“That can’t be good!” She-Ra said, staggering slightly as the ground rocked beneath them.

“You think!” Catra snapped, looking around almost frantically. “First the power goes off, along with all those drones dropping down at once, then the entire Fright Zone starts shaking. What about that could possibly be bad?”

“Okay, I get it, stupid thing to say!” She-Ra shot back. “Is everyone okay?”

“Just about.” Catra said with a quick look around the group. “But we’ve got a lot of injured troops here Adora, we’re not going anywhere in a hurry.”

“Well we’d better, this whole place is going to blow!” Mermista said as Kara dropped into the middle of their group and let go of her passengers.

“Blow? What do you mean, blow, exactly?” Bow asked clearly expecting the worst.

“By my calculations the explosion will be at least twice as big as the whole Fright Zone!” Entrapta said urgency.

“But… an explosion that big…” Glimmer said, eyes wide with the realisation that there was no time for the needed evacuation.

“The caves outside the fright zone, it’s the only chance.” Catra said, grabbing Glimmer by the shoulder. “Do you remember where they are?”

“I… think so.”

“Good. Start teleporting as many of the injured and slower ones out as you can. Bow, help me get everyone else moving! Those that can carry others without slowing themselves down, do so!”

“There might be something else we can do.” Kara said quietly and every eye turned to her. “She-Ra, how strong are you, if you really let yourself go I mean?”

“Uh… I don’t know. Pretty strong? I think?”

“Alright… Kate, help Catra get everyone out of here. She-Ra, come with me.” Kara snapped and no-one would have argued for all of Etheria. The two blondes dashed for the entrance, Kara snagging She-Ra under the shoulders and flying her as fast as she dared over the heads of the retreating army. They swept out of the factory and banked hard enough to pull an involuntary squeak from She-Ra before they touched down at one corner of the enormous building.

“Stand back!” Kara ordered and She-Ra watched, puzzled, as the girl of steel crossed one foot over the other, her toes pointing down as if she were about to start a dance recital. A moment later she spun on the spot, her speed building into a blur as she tunnelled down in the blink of an eye, mud and rock flying out of the hole. After a few seconds the impromptu mud shower stopped and Kara called up.

“Okay, come down and stay close. Be careful, I’m not sure how long this tunnel is going to last.”

Without hesitation She-Ra jumped into the hole and found it went almost fifty feet down before levelling out in a smooth curve which led into a long shaft cutting back under the factory. Kara was some distance away and accelerating, her body blurring as she forced the ground out of her way, pushing it aside and compacting it to hold the shape of the tunnel as she pounded further and further towards the heart of the factory. She-Ra gaped in astonishment for a moment, got a mouthful of dirt for her troubles, then started sprinting down the tunnel. It didn’t seem to matter how hard she ran, Kara was always ahead of her, grim determination pouring from her in the brief glimpses She-Ra could catch of her face in the dim light filtering down from the distant entrance.

After what felt like hours but couldn’t have been more than a couple of minutes Kara halted, looking up as she checked the structure above with her x-ray vision. “Alright, this will have to do! We’re more or less in the centre of the factory now and if there’s one thing Brainiac does really well it’s build stupidly tough facilities.”

“Umm…. So?” She-Ra asked, still confused.

“So we’re going to hope your Brainiac is as good at this as mine is.” Kara reached up and punched the ceiling of the tunnel, a loud metallic clang echoing in the confined space as she found the metal underside of the giant metal box. “Come on, we’re running out of time! Put your hands on it!”

“Okay, little cramped in here….” 

“Trust me, that’ll come in handy! Right, on three we’re going to lift this whole thing, got it!”

“Lift the fright zone!?!”

“You can do it Adora, I promise you can do it!” Kara said. “Believe me I know something like this feels impossible but you’re stronger than you know.”

“I… alright. What have we got to lose?”

“I’ll try to carve out a path for you as we go, okay? If this thing’s built as tough as I hope it is it’ll hold together. We’re going to carry the whole damn thing up to the surface then, when I tell you, throw it straight up as hard as you can, got it?”

“And then what?”

“Get to the caves. Make sure everyone’s okay and let me do the rest.”

“But…”

“No time to argue. Ready? One, two… three!”

She-Ra heaved against the unbelievable weight and felt it twitch, shift and start very slowly to move. She groaned as she tried to straighten up from the crouch she’d been forced to adopt in the Kara-sized tunnel but the metal above her kept moving up, giving her space to reach her full height. She glanced to her right and saw Supergirl flying off the ground, her back pressed against the metal as she gritted her teeth and exerted her own irresistible force against it.

Every muscle straining to what felt like breaking point She-Ra took a step forward to find a better balance, her body trembling with the effort. She was just about to ask what was next when Kara’s eyes flicked up and her heat vision stabbed into the soil and rock surrounding them. It quickly carved out a section of the wall and she kept the blue beams focused on that spot, lifting her gaze to create a gently angled tunnel before them.

“Alright… let’s do this.” She-Ra grunted and she took one muscle-wrenching step forward, then another. The weight above her felt like it could slip and crush her at any moment but she focused her mind and let the power of the planet flow through her. She started to glow, a noticeable and rapidly glowing gleam in the tunnel, rainbow light bursting around them. 

“That’s it… one step at a time!” Kara called, ignoring the fact her own feet weren’t touching the ground. She kept her heat vision burning, kept on digging their way out of what could so easily become their tomb as they started to pick up speed. She-Ra was getting more used to the load now and while it was far from easy she found a rhythm to the movement. It hurt like hell but something within her realised Kara was right. She could do this!

On and on they moved, Kara making the slope as steep as she dared, the factory groaning as it was lifted up and out of Etheria. All around them the rock and soil shook and trembled but, somehow, it didn’t feel like the planet was fighting them. Quite the opposite, She-Ra thought, it was almost as if it were encouraging them on. The metal was starting to grow warm as whatever power it contained continued to build, a constant reminder of their time running out…

And then the dim night of the planet burst under the factory as it cleared the edge of the pit and the two blondes stepped up into the open air. She-Ra glanced upwards and almost lost her balance at the sheer enormity of the building they were holding. It seemed to go on forever, the perfectly flat side of the cube they were holding distorting her perception. How big had the Fright Zone been anyway? They couldn’t really be lifting it all… but they were! She-Ra gritted her teeth as her feet found solid ground and she hissed the important question that had suddenly popped into her mind.

“What… now?”

“On three throw it as hard as you can. Straight up. Then get to the caves, they’re going to need you!” Kara repeated the instruction, trying to keep her own focus clear. 

A thousand questions popped into She-Ra’s mind but there just wasn’t time or energy to ask them. Instead she just grunted an acknowledgment and set herself as best she could.

“One. Two…THREE!” 

She-Ra had never put as much effort into anything in her life as she did that throw. She straightened as fast as she could, ignoring the pain, ignoring the protests from what felt like every cell in her body as she hurled the Fright Zone away from Etheria… and gaped as it seemed to keep accelerating. She turned to her right then looked up and stared in wonder at the sight that met her eyes.

The miles-wide box was picking up speed like a spaceship blasting free from gravity and there, in the exact centre and supporting the whole thing on her back, was Supergirl. Her mouth was open in a silent scream at the effort, her arms shaking but she kept going, kept pushing, kept lifting it into the sky and away from the ground and the countless lives currently sheltering in…

In the caves! She-Ra shook herself out of her daze, turned and sprinted across the oozing mud, ignoring anything that threatened to trip her as she raced for the people she’d brought here and who may still need her. She scrambled out of the crater and leapt down into the rocky ravines that had made up the outskirts of the Fright Zone, ducking and skimming her way across the familiar pathways she’d explored with Catra so long ago.

She rounded a corner and saw the entrance to the cave network looming before it. Standing there, looking behind her in disbelief were Catra, Scorpia, Swift Wind and Bow. To the right of that little group was Batwoman and while she too was staring up at the rapidly dwindling factory her look was one of pride.

“How long?” She-Ra said urgently as she skidded to a halt beside Catra.

“Maybe a minute…” Batwoman muttered, her eyes fixed on the tiny blue dot under the expanse of grey. “Come on Kara, that’s enough… get rid of it….”

“Why is she still there!” She-Ra demanded, realising what Kate was worried about in a heartbeat. “If it blows…”

“She’ll be okay.” Kate said but she sounded far from sure of her words. “She’s always okay….”

“We’ve got to go get her!” She-Ra demanded but found Catra’s hand gently wrapping around her arm.

“We can’t. If it explodes we can’t survive that.”

“And she can!?”

“You’d be surprised…” Kate said though there was a tightness in her voice. “Come on Kara, come…”

The sky burst into brilliant green fire, the shockwave reached out and tore down towards Etheria as if greedy to take one more bite from the planet just for spite. Scorpia bundled Bow, Swift Wind and Catra back into the relative safety of the cave but She-Ra and Kate stared in horror at the heart of the explosion. The ground shook as the force of the explosion dissipated barely metres from them then there was an ominous rumble of stone. She-Ra looked up just in time to catch and brace the cave entrance as it slipped and tried to tumble into ruin. Bow and Scorpia were immediately by her side followed a few seconds later by Entrapta.

“We can fix it but you’ve got to hold this up until we can finish!” Bow said urgently.

“No… problem…” She-Ra grunted, adjusting her stance to try and ease some of the load in her shoulders. 

“There!” Catra called and pointed up into the sky. Kate’s eyes were already tracking the falling blue dot and her mind whirled as she tried to think of a plan.

“Swift Wind, we need you!” Kate called, grabbing Catra. “Come on, we can still get her!”

Catra almost protested, her head turning automatically to look at She-Ra but the blonde just nodded and mouthed one word. “Go.”

Swift Wind raced from the cave and didn’t so much as break stride as first Catra then Batwoman swung themselves easily up on to his back. Rainbow wings spread and he launched into the sky, his feet pushing against thin air in an attempt to move just a little faster.

“Can you see her?” Kate called to the alicorn.

“Yes, hang on!” He shouted back, wings working madly to pick up speed. The figure was dropping quickly and he angled in, trying to work out where to aim.

“Get below her if you can!” Catra said urgently. “We can catch her as she goes by.”

“On it!” Swift Wind dove, his eyes fixed on the blonde as he eased into a shallow curve. On his back the two women braced themselves as best they could… then, suddenly, Kara was falling past on their right. Kate reached out, her fingers snapping closed around Kara’s wrist while her other hand grabbed a fistful of her cape. The force was too much and Kate felt herself tugged off her precarious perch, sliding sideways… until something sharp jabbed into the material over her ribs, a strong arm wrapping around her and helping steady her. She glanced back and saw Catra grimacing with the effort, her claws hanging on to Kate while trying not to either pull them all off on the other side of the alicorn or just go with them.

Kate redoubled her efforts, gritted her teeth and heaved. She felt the claws in her side pulse pain as she used them as an anchor, pulling Kara up until in one mad moment of desperation the girl of steel was lying in her lap, Catra balancing them both as best she could from behind Kate. Swift Wind didn’t need instructions, flying down as fast as he dared until his hooves touched down at the edge of the yawning crater.

Kate slithered off his back, cradling Kara so they ended up with Kate sitting on the ground, Kara’s head in her lap. One black gauntlet brushed at the blonde hair with infinite tenderness.

“Come on… you’re fine… please be fine…” Kate whispered, leaning down and to her eternal relief found a pulse. She gently kissed Kara and was rewarded with a soft hum of pleasure from the exhausted woman. 

“Hey you.” Kara’s voice was a whisper but her blue eyes were open and locked on her wife.

“What did we say about holding on to a bomb until it explodes?” Kate asked, more to stop the tears of relief than anything else.

“Not to.”

“Next time?”

“Oh, for sure.” Kara chuckled then winced. “Ohhh my head. Stupid pressure wave.”

“If you don’t mind lying in the mud stay there until you’re feeling better.” Kate advised.

“With this view it could be raw sewage and I wouldn’t mind.” Kara smiled and reached a shaky hand up to caress Kate’s cheek.

“You say the sweetest things.” Kate grinned before dipping down to kiss her wife again. “Rest now.”

“You sure you don’t want to get… dirty?” Kara asked with a decent attempt at seduction under the circumstances.

“Not with all of Bright Moon’s army likely on their way here, no.” Kate admitted after a moment warning with her desires.

“Oh. Later?”

“Very much so, yes.”

“Well in my weakened condition you’re going to have to do most of the work…” Kara teased and Kate rolled her eyes.

“Nothing new there then!”

“Hey!” Kara surged up, wrapped her arms around Kate’s back and dragged her down to lie beside her, the mud eagerly sucking at the fresh victim.

“Weakened condition was it?” Kate asked with an exasperated smile that suddenly became a frown. “Uh, actually, now that you mention it… I’ve seen you do similarly stupid things before and you don’t seem as tired? Which is odd as, well, nighttime. Also not Earth’s sun…”

Kara hesitated as if doing a quick audit of her body. “Good point. I feel, well, not fine I mean… explosion! But pretty sure I can outpace a speeding bullet. Hang on…” Her fingers traced Kate’s ribs and the cuts in the suit where Catra’s claws had dug in. Kate hissed but realised it was an instinctive reaction when no pain followed Kara’s fingertips.

“What the hell…” 

“I’m thinking something Oliver failed to tell us?”

“That seems likely, yes.” Kate growled. “I really am going to kill him one of these days. Again I mean. And slowly.”

There was a quiet cough from the shadows and Catra’s luminous eyes turned towards them. “Hate to interrupt but you’ve got about thirty seconds until everyone turns up.”


	6. Chapter 6

“Oh! Thanks.” Kara blushed and levitated upright, pulling Kate up with her. They brushed as much muck off their suits and capes as they could as a mob of stunned Etherians made it to the lip of the crater and stared in shock at the rubble left behind.

“Wow.. that… that was….” Bow muttered.

“Super!” Entrapta added excitedly, looking at Kara. “Oh pleeeease let me study you for a few years. I mean, days, days… maybe weeks.”

“Entrapta, we talked about this.” Glimmer put in quietly.

“No experimenting on our friends.” Entrapta recited sulkily. 

Catra grinned then saw Scorpia standing off to one side, looking sadly over what was left of the Fright Zone. Realisation dawned and Catra hurried over to place one hand, carefully, on the pointy exoskeleton. 

“You okay?” She asked quietly and felt the sigh shake Scorpia’s shoulders.

“I.. yeah.. I mean… it’s just the fright zone, right? Better off gone.”

“It wasn’t just the fright zone though, was it?” Catra said in sympathy.

“It, well, it was, I suppose it technically was my kingdom. My family’s I mean, before Hordak came. But it’s better this way. I was never worthy of it anyway. It’s fine, really.” 

Catra’s face hardened and to Scorpia’s shock she found herself pulled into a hug. Granted it was a slightly awkward hug given the height difference and the need to avoid some of the sharper bits of Scorpia’s body but a hug nonetheless.

“No, no it’s not.” Catra growled. “Stay there for a minute, okay?”

“S…sure?”

Catra stalked over to She-Ra who was still staring in shock along with the bulk of their forces. “Adora, can we talk?”

“Uh, yes? I mean, yes, of course, what’s up?”

Catra led her a little way from the group then turned and gestured at the giant hole in the ground behind them. “That used to be Scorpia’s home. Her kingdom I mean. Is there anything you… we… can do about this?”

“I… don’t know.” Adora frowned and as always Catra saw the woman she loved so clearly on She-Ra’s face and in her movements. “Maybe if we had the rune stone….”

“Well they can’t be destroyed can they? Not by anything that isn’t another rune stone anyway?”

“No, no I don’t think so. Why?”

“Come with me.” Catra grabbed She-Ra’s hand and dragged her over to Supergirl and Batwoman who were leaning on each other, looking out at the devastation. 

“Kara, could you help us find something?”

“Ummm…. sure? What sort of something?”

“It’s a big stone. Black and purple, about ten foot tall, looks like a shard of crystal and may be glowing. It would have likely been inside the factory when it exploded so…” Catra gestured at the wreckage and Kara immediately got it.

“Okay, give me a minute.” She squeezed Kate’s hand and shot into the sky, her senses straining for any sign of the rune stone.

“Is this actually gonna work?” Catra asked quietly, her hand wrapped in She-Ra’s.

“Won’t know until we try…” She-Ra replied with a warm smile. “But..”

“Is this it?” Kara dropped down in front of them so quickly they both let out a small scream of surprise. Kate just smirked having long ago gotten used to Kara’s tendency to suddenly appear from nowhere. Supergirl was holding the rune stone on the palm of her right hand, a subtle blurring of her skin the only sign she was making almost constant adjustments to keep it upright.

“Umm yes. Yes it is.” Catra said flatly, trying to smooth the fur of her tail without being too obvious about it and failing miserably. “Adora?”

“Okay… uh, Kara, can you drop it and me in the middle of the crater? Catra, get the other princesses to the edge? I think this is gonna need all of us.”

Kara grabbed She-Ra around the waist and took off leaving Kate and Catra alone. 

“Want some help?” Kate offered as they turned to head down to the crowd.

“Very much yes. Trying to herd this lot up is like.. umm… well… it’s not easy.” Catra finished rather lamely.

Five minutes later Glimmer, Perfuma, Mermista, Frosta, Spinnerella and Netossa were all lined up having had a brief explanation from Catra and the occasional glare from Batwoman at any argument. Scorpia stood off to one side looking nervous, something that wasn’t helped by Supergirl dropping down silently next to her.

“Uh, hi!” Kara said brightly as Scorpia instinctively stung her. Or, at least, tried to. The stinger naturally enough bounced off Kara’s invulnerable skin.

“Oh I am SO sorry! You just startled me and it’s an instinctive thing and…”

“Hey, hey, it’s okay, my fault and no harm done. She-Ra asked me to come pick you up, she needs your help.”

“My help? Not sure what I can do but of course if I can I will and, umm, yes.”

Kara grinned and slid an arm around the armoured woman, being careful to avoid her pincers and ignoring both the blush from Scorpia and the barely-audible growl from Perfuma. “I’ll go slow, don’t worry.” With that she launched carefully back into the sky, felt Scorpia tense in her grip as the ground fell away then the gradual relaxation as the tall, white-haired woman started to trust Supergirl not to drop her. All too soon the ride came to an end and Kara placed her back on Etheria with a featherlight touch.

“Thanks Kara.” She-Ra smiled at her and got an answering grin. “You good to cover the others just in case?”

“Consider it done.” Kara replied, taking off and heading back to hold station above the gathered princesses. 

“So… what do you want me to do?” Scorpia asked, fiddling with the tips of her pincers nervously.

“You remember this place before Hordak, don’t you?” She-Ra asked kindly. “Before it was all covered by the Fright Zone I mean?”

“Well… kinda. I mean it’s mostly just a blur, I was really young, if you want to know what building went where I’m not sure I can…”

“It’s okay.” She-Ra reached over and wrapped her hands as best she could around Scorpia’s pincers. “You don’t need the detail. At least… I don’t think you do. Just try to picture what you can in your head. Shapes. Smells. Sounds. Anything that wasn’t the Fright Zone.”

“I’m not sure I can do this…” Scorpia stuttered but She-Ra didn’t let her turn away.

“You can. I know you can.”

“I really don’t think…”

“Scorpia… I lifted the whole Fright Zone today! Kara threw it off the planet, correction, flew it off the planet. If ever there was a day for doing the impossible this is it!”

“I… it’s just… it’s so….big.”

There was a rush of air overhead and Kara touched down unexpectedly, her passenger gripping her rather tighter than Scorpia had. Kara tapped her ear, said “Super hearing, sorry!” and was gone again leaving behind a slightly green-looking Catra who shook off the queasy sensation of being carried several hundred feet above the ground and put a hand softly on Scorpia’s arm.

“You can do this. I know you can.” She smiled warmly and was relieved to see the acceptance in Scorpia’s eyes. “All those years in the horde trying to stay positive, being optimistic and warm and caring when all of us, even Adora, fell into their lies. ALL of it was for this. It’s what you were born to do.”

“And… and what’s that?” Scorpia asked slightly starstruck.

Catra paused then laughed, shaking her head as she pulled Scorpia into a hug. “Be a princess of course! It’s your birthright and today you’re going to do something that not even Glimmer’s managed to do! Save your whole kingdom AFTER it’s been destroyed.” She chuckled as she pulled back far enough to let Scorpia see her eyes and the mischievous glint there. “Now get on with it so we can get some sleep already!”

Scorpia hesitated for another moment then a big grin spread across her face. “Okay. Okay you’re right! I’ll do it! Just you watch! Only… uh… could you maybe stay with me?” She blushed at Catra’s surprised look. “It’s just that Perfuma’s needed over there and… and I think you should be here for this.”

“Of course I’ll stay.” Catra said softly. “We’re with you, right Adora?”

“Absolutely!” She-Ra walked forward and inspected the Black Garnet rune stone critically. It was tall but relatively narrow and she made her mind up almost immediately. “Okay… Catra here, Scorpia here.” She positioned her friends on either side of her, the three of them encircling the rune stone. “Okay… Scorpia, put one hand, uh, pincer on the stone, the other on me. Catra, one hand on Scorpia, one on me.” With the three of them linked She-Ra took a deep breath and held her own palms inches from the swirling surface. “Scorpia, just keep thinking of your home, okay? Whatever happens!”

“Ready.” Scorpia said and her voice was different, more confident and assured. 

“Alright… here we go.” She-Ra placed both hands on the Black Garnet and it erupted into swirling purple light that spread out like an oily wave, blackness dancing in it like living shadows. The three women around the stone groaned as they felt a connection grow first to the shadows in the stone and then to each other! It wasn’t mind reading but suddenly they could feel the shape of their thoughts, feel the emotions racing through the others. Scorpia gasped and almost pulled away until Catra tightened her grip both physically and mentally.

“No, no it’s okay… stay with us.”

“But what if I see something I shouldn’t!”

“It’s okay. I trust you.” Catra thought the words without hesitation and her shape in Adora’s mind seemed momentarily surprised at the easy confession before settling back into a warm glow. “I trust you.”

Adora was fit to burst with pride but had problems of her own. She pushed against the coldness of the shadows, her body glowing as she tapped into the mystical energy of the planet itself. The rune stone seemed to react, becoming brighter and brighter as she hunted the shadows through its myriad surfaces, forcing them back, trapping them in the heart of the magic contained within the Black Garnet. She’d thought, hoped maybe, to destroy them but realised they were part of the balance she needed so instead she used them, chained them to the stone as they should be and trusted Scorpia and her descendants to guard them.

On the lip of the crater Kate saw the glow from the centre of what had been the Fright Zone, saw the lazy liquid light make its way across the ground and saw the rainbow glow from behind her. She turned and gasped as each of the gathered princesses was suddenly glowing a different shade, drawing on their own magic from distant lands to lend it all to this lost kingdom. The one they’d failed to protect. An unspoken vow hung in the air but Kate could feel it as clearly as it was being yelled at the top of their lungs. “Never again!”

The rainbow light burst out and rushed almost joyfully into the crater, racing to meet the oncoming purple tide and mix together in giant waves of dazzling colour. It whirled around itself, reaching up and crashing down as if revelling in its freedom. At the centre of it Kara could just make out the three women standing still around the rune stone and she could just make out the whispers coming from both She-Ra and Catra.

“Think of home, think of your parents, think of how it all felt…” She-Ra was almost chanting the words as much to keep her own focus as anything else. She could feel her own memories of the Fright Zone lifting from her and adding to the mix, the little things she’d never noticed but that had to be natural, the way the land had risen and fallen, buildings clearly built around or even in what had been there before.

“Remember the lost places you found, remember the pieces the horde left behind.” Catra was having the same experience as Adora, her life here flooding back and feeding the shape of the magic. But where Scorpia and She-Ra were connected to the rune stone directly she found herself acting as the balance between the two, the fulcrum between their memories and whatever new reality they were making. Now it was Catra’s turn to instinctively pull back, there was no way she should be doing this! She’d mess it up, turn it cruel and selfish, she had to go, had to…

“Stay.” The word echoed in her head and she turned - or at least she thought she did, the physical world and what was happening in her mind was all getting mixed up - and saw Adora smiling at her with all the love in Etheria.

“Please.” Again she turned and this time it was Scorpia and the trust on her face broke Catra’s heart while strengthening her will. She turned again to face the Black Garnet and set herself. There were no words but if the universe thought, even for a second, that this wasn’t going to work and Scorpia was going to fail it would have to tear Catra apart to make that happen.

There was a blinding burst of light that exploded across the miles of what had been the Fright Zone. Even Kara had to look away from its glare and when it faded… everything had changed. The blasted landscape had reformed into a sweeping desert of rock and sand, natural canyons and peaks lending it an odd beauty under the full moon blazing from a suddenly-cloudless night sky. In the centre was a city built around and on the spiralling rocky outcrops, its architecture at once brutal and enthralling. Right at the top, on a wide platform supported by four thin columns, the Black Garnet gleamed with purple light as the three figures surrounding it looked out in wonder at what they’d created.

“Want to go up there?” Kara asked Perfuma gently, recognising the look on her face as one Kara herself regularly had whenever Kate did something awesome.

“Y.. yes please. If you wouldn’t mind.”

“Of course not! Kate?”

“Wouldn’t miss it.” Both Kate and Perfurma practically jumped into Kara’s outstretched arms and she flew them gently across the newly-built landscape, keeping them all upright so as not to scare her first time flyer. They touched down on the platform a minute or two later and Perfuma immediately rushed into Scorpia’s arms and kissed her.

“It’s beautiful!” She said after they came up for air. “I’m so proud of you!”

“Well, you know, I didn’t really do much…”

Catra reached over and carefully slapped Scorpia on the arm. “Hey, no, you’re not allowed to do that any more!”

“Umm, do what?”

“Put yourself down. You’ve just rebuilt an entire kingdom, reclaimed the rune stone of your family and, in case you hadn’t noticed, confirmed your position as a princess! Time to start owning that title!”

Perfuma laughed and lounged in Scorpia’s arms. “Better listen to the wildcat or she’ll scratch your eyes out. And then she’d be arrested for regicide and you don’t want that.”

“Oh no, not the guest room with minimal pillows, anything but that!” Catra said, one hand touching her forehead theatrically as she spun behind Adora, now back in her normal form after She-Ra had done her work. “Save me from the power hungry princess!”

Kara laughed, she couldn’t help it. Something about Catra reminded her so strongly of Kate that it was almost like looking in a mirror and that made it far too easy to laugh at something that had that odd mix of cute and sexy about it. Just for a moment she wondered what Kate would look like with fur and those adorable ears then shook herself back to reality.

“Sorry, sorry, didn’t want to spoil the mood.” She apologised and then groaned as Scorpia wrapped her in a bone crushing hug.

“Sorry? Sorry! Thanks to you I’ve got my kingdom back! You did the impossible!”

Kara blushed and muttered about it being a team effort but the words fell on deaf ears. 

“Of course you know what that means, right Scorpia?” Adora asked with a grin that Perfuma instantly picked up on.

“Oh yes! You’re absolutely right!” She was practically bouncing with happiness. “And you two have to stick around!”

Scorpia looked from one to the other and back again, still confused. Behind Adora’s back - and hidden from Perfuma’s view - Catra rolled her eyes, struck a pose as if she were holding a partner in her arms and twirled on the spot. 

“OH! Yes, of course! In… celebration of… the day… or should that be night? Uh… in celebration we’ll hold the first ball here for decades! And you two have got to come!” Scorpia said with a chuckle. “That’s the first royal order of the princess.”

“We’d be honoured.” Kate said with a formal bow. “Although if we may beg one favour from the newly-enthroned?”

“Uh, yes?”

“Could we perhaps borrow a seamstress, I’m not sure a mud-splattered cape and cowl are quite the right look…”

**Author's Note:**

> So I'm pretty new to the She-Ra mythos (at least this version, old enough to remember the original...) and don't have as much time playing with these characters as the CW-verse ones. Really, really hope I did them justice here and sorry if your favourites didn't get more than a cameo this time round but this was getting ridiculously long!
> 
> And now for the bad news. Or, maybe sad news is closer to the mark. One of the reasons I was dumb enough to try this episodic approach was to fill the Sundays until Supergirl flew back on to screens. Well for those that haven't heard yet they announced this week that the next series (series 6 for those in the future. Hi future you, civilisation collapsed yet?) is going to be the last. This sucks and I was surprised just how down that news got me so in case there's people reading this that feel the same way a couple of quick thoughts.
> 
> First up, six seasons isn't bad at all, especially in these days of cancelled shows bouncing between networks in a desperate attempt to finish up stories. They seem to have had this in mind for a while and get to go into that last season knowing they can tie the overarching story up at the end. While it hurts like hell that it's going I think this is better than a 'BTW that was the last ep!' title card at the end of the season.
> 
> What's left behind will, I think, be judged fairly kindly once the usual trolling idiots have moved on to the next target. Looked at objectively there's very few bad episodes of this show and most at least hit that average to good range. When it's on top form I'm not sure there's been much to touch it, certainly almost all of my top moments in the CWverse shows come either directly from Supergirl or involve the characters.
> 
> From what I've read six seasons is the standard contract length for main players on the CW shows anyway with contract negotiations after that if they want to extend. If I'm being completely honest it really doesn't surprise me that this is it either. Shooting in Vancouver for 9 months of late hours, night shoots and the lovely Canadian winter must get boring. Plus, let's be honest about this, the cast is so damn good it feels like all of them have a bunch of options outside of the show so hardly surprising they'd be looking elsewhere. Melissa, in particular, seems to have done additional projects pretty much every summer break be that films, broadway or battling ice-cream cravings. 
> 
> I'm going to miss all of these characters terribly of course and the 'what-if's' definitely sting. Never getting a Kate / Kara standalone crossover beyond ten minutes of Crisis (seriously WTF?). Almost certainly not getting a Supergirl focused musical episode (though in fairness can you imagine trying to keep that cast on schedule when they're SUPPOSED to be dancing / singing?). Not seeing Kara take her rightful place at the head of the Justice League. 
> 
> But here's the thing... I'm writing all of this on a site dedicated to letting us play with those ideas. Everything the show's given its fans will live on and grow on its own. And it'll do so without the constraints of a TV show or having to tie into continuity (says he slightly sheepishly glancing at where he's taken his own attempts). And all of the inspiration, motivation and - yes - hope that the show has given to so many in the real world will continue on as well. 
> 
> So here's to season 6! Enjoy it while it's here, feel sad about it going but look forward to what lies beyond it as well.


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